Weekly News Recap - April 25th 2025
All the news you've missed this week: The death of Pope Francis, Trump's Ukraine proposal, and Canada's upcoming election.
In this week’s news recap:
Trump’s proposed Ukraine deal faces criticism
Pope Francis dies at 88
Canada votes - liberal PM Carney leads the polls
FBI arrests Wisconsin Judge
Pope Francis dies
Pope Francis, leader of the catholic church, passed away on Easter Monday after a stroke. He was 88 years old.
Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, was perhaps the most progressive pope. He was the first pope to approve the blessing of same-sex marriages, elevated women in the catholic church, and was a vocal supporter of the fight against climate change. Under his reign, the Vatican reformed its financial structure, answering to years of corruption allegations. Francis also supported the vivid dialogue between the different faiths in the world.
In the coming weeks, a new pope will be elected in a process known as a “Conclave”. It is still unclear who will become the next pope, but with Francis gone, progressive Catholics have lost a humble leader.
“What I am going to say is not a dogma of faith but my own personal view: I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is”
Pope Francis
Trump’s proposed Ukraine deal faces criticism
Donald Trump has worked with Russia to propose a new peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. The proposal, which would recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea and freeze frontlines has led to widespread criticism. Ukraine would face heavy territorial losses on its mainland and Russia would win an unlikely ally in their quest to claim legal control of Crimea. Russia seized and illegally annexed the island in 2014, which led to sanctions from Western states, including the US.
Russia continued its attacks this week, killing at least 12 people with a drone strike on Kyiv. Ukraine agents have detonated a bomb in Moscow, killing a high-ranking Russian official.
Canada votes on Monday - liberal Carney leads the polls
An earlier version incorrectly stated that the election would be held on Sunday.
Canadians will head to the polling stations next monday to elect their new parliament. Prime Minister Marc Carney, who took over after PM Trudeau resigned and became the liberal nominee, is leading in the polls.
The incumbent Liberal Party, the party of Trudeau and Carney, is favored to win the most seats. This marks a striking turnaround from just two months ago, when the Conservatives around Pierre Poilievre were leading in the polls.
But when Donald Trump started his trade war against Canada, the unpopular liberals took their chance to take charge. Trudeau’s and Carney’s unyielding response to Trump’s threats has elevated the liberal party and led to the fall of the conservatives who are being associated with a pro-Trump stance.
FBI arrests Wisconsin Judge
This Friday, FBI director Kash Patel announced that his agents had arrested a Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan on charges of obstructing immigration enforcement officers. The arrest of a sitting judge is a major escalation of tensions between the executive and the judicial branch.
Mr. Patel explained the arrest in a social media post, but deleted the post later on, without explanation. ICE agents have repeatedly tried arresting undocumented immigrants in courthouses.